Penn State is a wrestling school, folks.

No. 1 Penn State wrestling (8-0, 2-0 Big Ten) traveled to Nebraska to take on the No. 6 Cornhuskers (6-2, 1-1 Big Ten) late Friday night. The Nittany Lions continued their unparalleled streak of dominance, winning 31-7. With the effort, Penn State wrestling has outscored its opponents 354-16 in its first eight duals of the season.

The dual was highlighted by an upset victory from No. 12 Luke Lilledahl, defeating No. 6 Caleb Smith via a last-second takedown.

How It Happened

174 Pounds

Kicking off the dual was No. 2 Levi Haines taking on No. 15 Lenny Pinto. After taking an early stalemate due to a failed single-leg attempt, Haines countered an attack from Pinto with a go-behind to secure the bout’s first takedown with just over 60 seconds left in the first period, taking a 3-0 lead into the second. Haines could not finish a late takedown attempt, however, he extended his lead to 4-0 after an escape from bottom position to start the middle period. To start the third, Pinto secured a reversal from bottom position to tighten the Nittany Lion’s lead to 5-2 after Haines’ eventual escape. However, Haines closed out the period with his second takedown of the bout to take the 9-2 decision victory.

184 Pounds

Up next, we saw No. 1 Carter Starocci battle against No. 7 Silas Allred. Starocci opened up the bout with a single leg on the edge of the mat to take a quick 3-0 lead over Allred. After the takedown, Starocci remained in control of Allred in the top position to collect over 60 seconds of riding time heading into the second. Allred escaped to start the second, however, he was once again attacked by Starocci for the Nitanny Lions’ second takedown, as Starocci led 6-1 after two. A third takedown from Starocci in the final period gave the blue-and-white wrestler an 11-2 major decision victory.

197 Pounds

After the commercial break, No. 4 Josh Barr faced off against No. 22 Camden McDanel. After a good bit of scrambling, Barr finished on a double leg in the waning seconds of the first period to take a 3-0 lead into the second. After an escape and a second takedown from Barr, he took a 7-0 lead with over 80 seconds of riding time into the final two minutes. A demoralizing final period for McDanel allowed Barr to wrap up five takedowns in the third to take a 19-4 tech fall victory at 6:42.

Penn State led the dual 12-0 after three bouts.

285 Pounds

After the tech fall, No. 2 Greg Kerkvliet took on No. 24 Harley Andrews. A takedown from Kerkvliet was the only point scored in the first, however, he carried over 120 seconds of riding time into the second. Kerkvliet opened up the scoring in the second with a reversal and a few near-fall points, however, Andrews hit the Nittany Lion with a reversal to tighten the lead to 8-2. Kerkvliet then bounced back with an escape and takedown to put himself farther in front 12-2 heading into the third period. Two sets of four-point near falls at the beginning of the third period awarded Kerkvliet the 20-2 tech fall at 6:12.

125 Pounds

In one of the biggest bouts of the night, No. 12 Lilledahl walked to the mat to face off against No. 6 Smith. A few takedown attempts from each wrestler didn’t amount to anything as the scoreboard still read 0-0 after the first. An escape from Smith was once again the only point scored in the second, the Cornhusker led 1-0 heading into the third. After a majority of the first period remained on the feet, Lilledahl scrambled for the bout’s first and only takedown with 15 seconds remaining in the period to secure the 4-2 decision victory and remain undefeated.

The Nittany Lions led 20-0 at the intermission.

133 Pounds

After the intermission, No. 5 Braeden Davis took on No. 16 Jacob Van Dee. An aggressive start from Davis came back to bite him as Van Dee secured the bout’s first takedown and a four-second near fall to jump out to a 7-0 lead. Davis bounced back with a takedown of his own, but Van Dee countered with a reversal to take back control, and the Nebraska wrestler led 9-5 after an action-packed first period. An escape from Davis was the only point scored in the second, shrinking the Cornhusker’s lead to 9-6. An escape and final takedown from Van Dee gave the cornhusker a 14-7 decision victory over Davis.

141 Pounds

After the loss, No. 3 Beau Bartlett faced off against No. 6 Brock Hardy. After an opening takedown from Bartlett, the wrestlers traded reversal until the eventual escape from Hardy, putting the Nittany Lion in front 5-3 after the opening period. An escape from Bartlett was the only point scored in the second, extending his lead to 6-4. Hardy struck first with a takedown to open the third period, however as the clock ticked down, Bartlett flipped the script for a reversal to take a narrow 8-7 decision victory, which was upheld after a short review to the dismay of the home crowd.

Penn State led the dual 23-3 with three bouts remaining.

149 Pounds

After the commercial break, No. 2 Shayne Van Ness took on No. 4 Ridge Lovett. Good scrambling in the first period kept the score locked at 0-0 after one. After the second period, Van Ness found himself back in front 2-1. However, the third period belonged to Lovett, scoring handfuls of points at will to take the 10-2 major decision victory.

157 Pounds

Next up to the mat was No. 3 Tyler Kasak faced off against No. 5 Antrell Taylor. A takedown and four-second near fall for Kasak opened up the scoring at 7-1 after the first period. An escape from Kasak was the only point scored in the second, extending his lead to 8-1. In a similar fashion, an escape from Taylor and a stalling point was the only action of the final period, however, it was not enough to overcome the deficit as Kasak took the 8-3 decision victory.

165 Pounds

Wrapping up the night, No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink took on No. 7 Bubba Wilson. A lone takedown from Mesenbrink was the only point scored in the first as the Nittany Lion took a 3-0 lead after one. A handful of takedowns and a three-second near fall were the highlights of the second period, extending his lead to 14-3 after two. A final takedown and batch of near-fall points gave Mesenbrink the 20-3 tech fall at 5:39.

The Nittany Lions won the dual 31-7.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will stay on the road when they travel to Rutgers on Friday, January 24, to take on the Scarlett Knights at 8 p.m. on the Big Ten Network.